Tomorrow
by Fox Scarlen
Summary: Drabbles featuring anything and everything under the sun in the Leviathan 'verse. Ch. 13 - AUs can be as fantastical as you want. This is very fun for sci-fi geeks. xP
1. Somewhere Only We Know

**Big long intro below. If you could really care less and just want to read the story, go right ahead and skip. ^^**

Hey there! Fox Scarlen here! I've decided to end _Today_ and start a new drabble series (one of many in this section-sorry about that!). I feel like my friendship theme was limiting, and now I really want to branch out into anything and everything _Leviathan_. So, we now have _Tomorrow_! This, right here, is a fic of drabble series that is going to cover, like I said, _everything_ in the _Leviathan_ 'verse. I'm talking about minor characters, history, future, you name it. I'm going to try and delve into every possible topic imaginable, and, unlike _Today_, do not expect a set length of chapter-I may go from ten words to ten thousand. Yes. It shall be that unpredictable. ^^

So, here we go! This intro chapter was inspired by the song that titles this chapter, and I highly suggest you go and listen to it while reading (either the original, by Keane, or the Glee: Warblers version. Both are wonderful). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not Scott.

Somewhere Only We Know

"_Oh simple thing, where have you gone?  
><em>"_I'm getting old and I need something to rely on.  
><em>"_So tell me when, you're gonna let me in,  
><em>"_I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin.  
><em>"_And if you have a minute why don't we go,  
><em>"_Talk about it somewhere only we know.  
><em>"_This could be the end of everything,  
><em>"_So why don't we go somewhere only we know?"  
><em>_~Keane_

He was aged. Old. Elderly. Ha, almost decrepit, really, though he preferred not to think so. Not yet, at least, anyway. Wrinkles, despite their generally negative reception, only warmed the old man's face up further than it had been, even when he was younger. He'd long ago lost the stiffness of royalty and 'princelihood', as his wife liked to call it, and a certain joy seemed to radiate from him. It was all thanks to his dear one, really, as she'd turned his life upside-down; in a good sort of way, of course. The old man was kind, nice, courteous; he was intelligent, smart, and wise enough to know he wasn't.

Apart from the wrinkles, he was a bit short; not noticeably so, except when compared to his wife. She was, forever to his chagrin, taller than he, which had irked the old man to no end. Of course, he'd long ago lost his supposed 'sexist' attitude; he never realized he'd possessed it, until his dear wife beat it out of him. She had a habit for such things.

His hair was gray, nearly white, with age, naturally, but a couple of stray streaks of reddish-brown striped his hair in a reveal of the youth he'd once had. Two brilliant emeralds sat in his face and, unlike his hearing, had yet to be dulled by the passing of years. They shone rather more brightly today, with the sheen of unshed tears, tears he'd been keeping back for so long now.

Clad in typical daily attire, consisting of trousers and a flannel shirt, the old man knelt down on the hilltop. The hill was bare, apart from the coat of long, tall grass that reached up to the man's knees and reached up for his face as he knelt, and one other item. Around him, the Austrian foothills shone with a certain radiance; the country was beautiful, and many claimed nothing could compare. The old man wasn't sure if Austria was truly the most beautiful country in the world, but he wouldn't be surprised.

The other item on the hilltop, which the old man had knelt before, was a tall stone. It wasn't particularly large, or particularly fancy, but was of a good, medium, sturdy size, built to last through Austrian winters and any sort of weather the sky might throw at it. On the stone, the following words were written:

"_Deryn Sharp-Ferdinand_

_Served onboard the Darwinist airship _Leviathan

_Empress of Austria_

_Beloved mother and wife_

_Soldier through and through_

_1899-1956"_

Posted beneath the words, embedded in the stone, and protected by glass, was a picture of her after World War I, smiling and laughing. And beneath her picture, two more words were etched-"Barking spiders!"

Alek Sharp-Ferdinand gave a sad smile, reaching out a gnarled hand to feel the stone, running his ancient fingers over the words carved into the stone.

The stone wasn't a grave marker-after all, there was no body buried here. Alek had thought it wasn't fit. Deryn wouldn't want to be buried in the earth: she'd want to fly free, forever. He remembered his grief as he took her body to be cremated, and his slow acceptance as he stood at the top of the airship and released her ashes to the wind.

Turning himself over, Alek laid his back against the marker, staring up into the sky. The year now was 1992. Alek was ninety-three-years-old; far too old, in his opinion. He'd always thought Deryn would outlive him.

But his life had been a full one. After the world war, the first one, after Alek had found out his best friend's secret, he'd found himself falling for the Darwinist middy. When the emperor had died, and Alek had assumed the position of emperor over the smaller, reduced empire of Austria, a far cry from the former Austria-Hungary, but still a beautiful and peaceful country, he had fallen in love.

Alek proposed to Deryn when they were both twenty-two: it was a good age, in his opinion, and they'd begun to court each other in secret anyway. The proposal itself was a simple matter. Deryn had taken to flying balloons like her father, and Alek volunteered to go with her that one day, as was normal.

She'd almost pushed them both out of the basket when she tackled him in a hug as her answer to his question.

Deryn made a surprisingly good empress. Though she was a foreigner, she was also a commoner, and had managed to win the hearts of Alek's people, in her typical manner. Few seemed to mind terribly much that Deryn preferred trousers and short hair.

Their firstborn was Sophie. Her face was Alek's, and her eyes, but she had her mother's straw-blonde hair. Next and last was Artemis, a young, healthy boy with his mother's face and a mix of his parents' hair: it was reddish-gold, an interesting color, but admired by all and decidedly handsome.

The couple had few spats. Sure, they argued over the advantages and disadvantages of Clankers versus Darwinists, but very rarely anything serious. Only once did they argue seriously, when Alek had fought against Deryn when she wanted to fly up in a new, Clanker contraption. Finally, she'd obeyed him, for once in her life, and didn't go up.

It exploded a few hundred feet in the air.

For days, Alek had been terrified, wondering what he would have done if she had actually been in the contraption, if she hadn't listened to him. It had been only a feeling, really-but Alek knew that it was best to trust one's guts, and he knew that it had been worth the argument. Deryn reassured him for days afterwards that it was okay, that she loved him, that she owed her life to him. But the thought had shattered him, and he knew it had shattered her a bit, too.

Life moved forward.

They watched their children grow up. Sophie took a passion to the sciences, of which Alek blamed her godmother, Nora Barlow, and began to follow biology as a possible career. Deryn was a bit miffed that she didn't seem to care a whit about flying. Alek was just glad she'd rather moon over test tubes than boys.

Artemis, on the other hand, took to flying as much as his mother, but he preferred balloons and Clanker contraptions to the living beasties of the Darwinists. He married a nice, but tough-as-nails girl named Holly, and Alek and Deryn had held their first grandchild, Dylan (go figure), at age fifty-five, and their second a year later.

Unfortunately, Deryn was never allowed to meet her third grandchild.

Alek remembered the day vividly. It had started off normally-they all do- when the news arrived. Deryn, riding up in a Huxley (she'd had one of the ungodly things brought to Austria to fly, said they were better than balloons in catching air) had been caught in a storm, much like her first time in a Huxley at fifteen. However, at fifty-seven, she was not so lucky-the Huxley panicked and Deryn, not quite as spry as she had been so many years ago, plummeted to the ground with the freaked Huxley.

She perished on impact.

Alek, the old man, gently brushed his wife's marker in the hillside again. Now, Alek was ninety-three. He had two children, three grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren, and he knew he'd lived a long and full life. But what he wanted, most of all, was to be with his wife again.

They'd lived through two world wars, revolutions, and watching their children date, but Alek felt they'd been apart far too long now. Far too long.

Slowly, his bones creaking, Alek got up, and, using his necessary cane, clambered carefully down the hill and into the neighboring forest. After a ten minute or so walk, he left the trail and shouldered his way through some bushes into a clearing.

Ringed by dark greenery, both short and tall, and framed by the massive skyward branches of trees, Alek entered a small clearing, and sat down in the middle, letting the sunlight wash over him.

He took a deep breath, and could swear he almost felt her, sitting beside him. This clearing was special to him and his wife. The elderly man didn't leave until long past supper.

That night, his children, visiting for the holidays, scolded him, told him that he shouldn't have been out that long. While his mental health was in top shape for one his age, his physical health was deteriorating. When they demanded to know where he'd been, he'd replied with a vague "You wouldn't know."

Two days later, Alek died peacefully in his bed.

And in the clearing, two laughing memories played, youthful and joyous.

"What do you think of this place?"

"I think it's wonderful."

"Aye, that it is! A place all to ourselves, isn't it?"

"Somewhere only we know."

…

So there you have it! First chapter to a new series! How was it? ^^ (Also, Artemis Fowl fans can probably guess why I decided to name Artemis II's wife Holly. ;D)

Also, is it sad that I've officially constructed a family tree and everything for Alek and Deryn? Yeah, probably. xP

So anyways, now that I'm back from vacation, and have all day long to sit and home and do nothing (except play Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D-YAY!) I have a lot of time to write. ^^ So be expecting fairly frequent updates. ;)


	2. Concerto

I meant to have this up earlier today, but we've had some awful thunderstorms lately, and we think lightning struck our house because it fried our router yesterday, which meant no Internet access. We got it back just a little while ago (they sent a new router) and so I'm updating now. ^^

Anyways, this chapter here is for all you band kids like me. In my band, we actually played the song mentioned in the piece, but I'm not recommending any recordings simply because I can't find any that sound as good as the tuba player we had in our band, who just graduated. Seriously, this guy made All-State all four years in a row, and he sent in two applications for college, one to Julliard's and one to some New England place. He got accepted to both.

Here we go!

Concerto

"_If music be the food of love, play on."_

_~William Shakespeare_

"When's this over again? Deryn asked, her boredom barely concealed in the question. As it was, the question, already up multiple times, showed her callous and 'I-could-care-less' attitude of the current show.

"Shhh," Alek responded, leaning forward in his seat to better watch the stage of the theater.

If it hadn't been so dark (apart from the lights on the stage, naturally) Alek would have seen Deryn rolling her eyes.

The orchestra on stage finished their piece, the first movement of a tuba concerto, and Alek jumped as clapping sounded behind him. Spinning quickly, he lunged at Deryn's hands and gripped them tightly to prevent further noise.

"Barking spiders, Alek! What's the deal?" Deryn asked, surprised by her fiancés sudden attack.

Alek hissed, "No one else is clapping! This is because it is the space between two _movements_, not two _pieces_! You don't clap between movements!" Behind him, the orchestra started into their second movement.

Deryn scowled. "Well excuse me!" Her voice had dropped to a whisper. "How was I supposed to know the bloody difference between a song and a movement?"

She felt a piece of paper shoved in her face. "Program," Alek said simply, then turned back to the orchestra.

"Which one're we on?" Deryn asked, and Alek sighed, irked he couldn't devote his entire attention to the music.

"The second movement, entitled _Romanza_," he replied, and before she could ask another question, he shushed her. "Just listen," he instructed. "This is a nice, slow piece, likely _andante sostenuto_."

"Andy-what?"

"Shh. Listen-you hear that? That's a bassoon-such pretty instruments."

"What the bark's a bassoon?"

Slightly amused, Alek answered, "See the really tall, wooden one?"

Deryn leaned forward, resting her hands on the balcony. "The giant stick?"

"That's the one."

Deryn blinked. "Well, that's just weird." She fell silent, noting humorously that Alek's hand was twitching beside him, almost as if he were trying to conduct the orchestra himself. Struck with another question, she inquired, "The really deep noise is the tuba, right?"

Chuckling dryly, Alek said, "Well, it _is_ a tuba concerto."

Taken aback, Deryn began to madly flip through the program, while her fiancé attempted to drown out the rustling of paper. Finally, she turned to him, and he quickly cut in before she could ask him anything else, "Hear the slight pick-up in the tempo? I'm willing to bet that was a _poco agitato_."

"…What the bloody hell are you speaking?"

For the umpteenth time that night, Alek shushed her.

…

Well, all you music people probably know how hard it is trying to explain some of our stuff to non-music folk, and I just sort of figured Deryn wouldn't really understand classical music. Know what I mean?

Anyways, while these first two chapters have featured Alek and Deryn, don't always expect that in the future. Just sayin'. ;)

redrose: Thanks! I'm glad you're excited for this new series, and that you'll continue to read what I write!

oraldisaster101: Haha, thanks, I'm glad you're looking forward to more updates! And yep, obsessive does seem to be the word for it. ^^

See you in chapter three!


	3. Conversation

Okay, now I'm gonna start drifting away from Alek and Deryn for a bit, as, like I've said, this fic encompasses all characters, not just those two. But don't worry, I still intend to write about them quite a bit. How could I not? (Since they're so darn awesome. ;P)

Conversation

"_Conversation should touch everything, but should concentrate itself on nothing.__"_

_~Oscar Wilde_

"The foolish girl, never realized I knew her secret," the woman said, in the midst of a story to a second woman, sitting just opposite her, hands intertwined and elbows rested steadfastedly atop the wooden table.

"Go on, then. What happens next?" the second woman urged, curious to hear more.

Smiling devilishly, the first woman continued, "So it came time for the day of the battle. Now _that_, that battle. Do you mind if I not go into too much detail?"

"Of course," the second woman said, fighting down pity for the storyteller. She knew the battle had been a hard day for the other.

"My father died," the first said quietly, "but thanks to him, we gained a great victory that day. He did not perish in vain, no, not at all. His death prevented many others, and it destroyed that horrid weapon. No one should be in possession of such raw, destructive power. No one." She fell silent for a moment, lost in thoughts of the harsh day. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she moved onwards. "I met the two afterwards, the silly girl and the silly boy. Honestly, quite a perfect match, I suppose. The boy was blind to her affections for him, and she was blind to mine.

"Anyways, I approached them. They were thoroughly shaken, battle-worn. I understood. But it was time for me to say good-bye. So I wondered, why not say good-bye in the most memorable way possible? After all, if this was the last chance I was to see her, or so I thought, I wanted to at least let her know of my feelings. An amazing girl, she really was, well, is, and I knew I'd never meet another like her. So I kissed her."

The second woman's jaw dropped. "You _what_?" she gasped.

The first woman smirked, tossing her black hair over shoulder. "Indeed," she said, eyes twinkling. "Indeed. The girl was very shocked, of course. I imagine she assumed I still thought her a boy. So she exclaimed in shock, much you like you did, and I waved and jumped off a height. Again, shocked them, until they saw me fly off in my body kite." Grinning to herself, she added, "I always love people's reactions to when I do that."

After a huff of laughter, the second woman began to frown a bit. "But then…do you still have feelings for this girl-disguised-as-a-boy? After all, you said she was, well-" she paused, hesitating "-that you'd never meet another girl like her. So…you don't feel the same for, for-" She cut off, unsure of what to say next.

Giving a sly smile, the storyteller leaned over and pecked the woman across from her lightly on the lips, before pulling back and grabbing the second woman's hands in hers. "Yes, I did say I'd never meet another like her. But that doesn't mean I couldn't find someone better, someone far more special."

Ducking her head and hiding a shy smile, the second woman strove to hide a growing blush. "Darn it, Lilit, must you do that?"

Lilit laughed and lightly flicked her partner gently on the forehead. "You're too worrisome," she said.

The other woman stuck out her tongue in response. "Says the war veteran."

"How else do you think the sultan would be overthrown? For crying out loud, we beat the Germans with peppers!" Lilit exclaimed.

The two chuckled to themselves as the hustle and bustle of a changed Istanbul passed outside their café's window.

…

There we go! I just wanted to write a little about Lilit quite a ways after the battle and the reason I give absolutely no descriptions of the second woman is because I didn't want to create my own character for Lilit. She was more of an outline, rather than an OC, at least, I hope that's how she came across. I did give her some personality, but yeah.

And yes, if it wasn't obvious in that, I do think Lilit kissed Deryn for _Deryn_, not Dylan. Just what I think.

Anyways, time for anonymous reviews!

Brynn: Thanks! And haha, I'm glad you're liking the Shakespeare quotes. That man is awesome, he really is. Er, was. Sadly enough, I haven't actually read Twelfth Night, but I've heard those two quotes and loved them, and I'm also aware that Twelfth Night has a crossdressing girl, right? So, you know, some appropriateness there. ^^ Again, thanks!

Anonymous: Yeah, it was meant to be sort of depressing, and bittersweet. Did you like it? And haha, I never realized the similarities to the song, probably because I've only heard it once or twice. ^^;

Anarchist: Haha, it's okay, no offense meant towards non-music people. ;P I'm glad you liked it, though! ^^ And as for Shakespeare-centric, hmmm…that does present some good ideas, now, doesn't it? ;)

HopelessRomantic:

1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, and a happy and sad tornado thing is pretty close to what I was aiming for. ;P As for the kids' names, I think I'm always going to use those. I like them. ^^ And as for the song making you think of Glee, I can understand that. That's where I first heard the song, and yep, I like the show. It's entertaining, if not plausible, and it's introduced me to a lot of great songs. ;)

2. Haha, goodness, I know what you mean. My grandfather's about a decade younger, and he's starting to lose it. More on the irrational decisions stuff. But I won't get into that. ^^; However, my great-grandmother (who was German, by the way, and the most amazing woman I've ever known) lived to be almost one hundred and one, and was in brilliant mental health the whole time. I've got a lot of German relatives, and they all live long and stay sane. So, you know, since Alek's Austrian, I figured he'd be about the same in a lot of ways. ^^

See you all in the next chapter! Which I may or may not have out tomorrow. It depends. Bear with me, all right? xP


	4. Birthdays

So here's a themed chapter featuring, yes, Alek and Deryn, but I do believe this will be the last of them for a while. Sorry about that!

Also, regarding the last chapter, I saw that on this past Westerforum meet-up thingie, Scott confirmed that Lilit does, indeed, like Deryn for Deryn. I'd advise you all check it out in his latest blog post, actually, there are a few neat details and the whole thing will have you cracking up throughout. ;P (Seriously, Scott's hilarious.)

Anyways, here we go! This is sort of a multi-part chapter, kind of like little drabbles all tied to the same theme in one.

Birthdays

"_Well, birthdays are merely symbolic of how another year has gone by and how little we've grown. No matter how desperate we are that someday a better self will emerge, with each flicker of the candles on the cake, we know it's not __to be, that for the rest of our sad, wretched pathetic lives, this is who we are to the bitter end. Inevitably, irrevocably; happy birthday? No such thing.__"_

_~Jerry Seinfeld_

_._

_First_

_._

"Happy birthday, little Sophie!" Deryn and Alek exclaimed to their now one-year-old daughter, hugging her close. With joy on their faces, they led her around the room, opening various presents such as new clothes, toys, and stuffed animals.

Chief among them was a stuffed perspicacious loris, hand-sewn by Deryn herself. Holding it out to her daughter, she chuckled as Sophie greedily took the little plushie, holding it tight to her chest. "She actually likes it!" Deryn said exuberantly, and her husband snorted.

"You have to wonder why," he said, earning a glare from his wife. "Sorry, I'm sorry!" he shouted in defense, raising his arms to cover his head.

Deryn gave him another hard stare, before bursting out into laughter. It was true, the hand-sewn loris was passable at best, with uneven lumps and limbs and two black buttons for eyes. "I was rushed," she retorted as an excuse through her laughter. She knew full well how bad the loris looked.

Shaking his head in mirth, Alek told her, "Well, it doesn't seem to bother young Sophie, now does it?" They both smiled to themselves as they watched their baby cuddle the doll.

_._

_Second_

_._

"Deryn, help, now!" Alek ordered, grabbing his wife and rushing off to the upstairs bedroom. He pulled her inside and shoved her towards the crib. "He can't be consoled! How do you do it?"

Stepping forward, Deryn gently picked their son, Artemis, up out of his blankets and rocked him gently. "Shhh, shhh," she murmured, to no avail. Artemis continued wailing his heart out. Struck by a thought, she turned towards Alek. "You don't reckon he's jealous of his sister's birthday, do you?"

Alek struck his palm to his forehead. "Goodness, we've left Sophie all alone now on her birthday!" He rushed off downstairs to find his daughter playing happily with her new toys, blissfully ignorant of the commotion with her baby brother. But as he watched her closely, he noticed with growing horror the frosting and cake crumbs all over her face, and the trail of it across the floor. Following the mess, he was confronted with an absolute mess of a cake, ripped open and splayed throughout the room.

"God's wounds," he muttered, as Artemis's screams from above grew louder.

_._

_Fifth_

_._

Sophie's eyes began to water as she realized the one present she'd really really wanted was missing. Turning to her parents, she asked, "No science kit?"

Her parents froze. "Well, you see, we thought it might be a bit dangerous for you now, but just wait a few years, and we'll get you one then, we promise!" Alek began, doing his best to assuage his daughter.

Deryn nodded. "Aye, and it'll be even better then, too! We promise!"

Sophie sniffed. "B-but Auntie Barlow said she'd teach me this year!"

Turning, Deryn shot at a glare at Sophie's 'aunt'. "You what?"

Doctor Barlow shrugged. "The child's interested in science. The best thing to do is fuel such a passion, and someday, she may come under my tutelage and become a world-renowned scientist. Believe me, she has the potential. Did you know she's already memorized over half of the periodic table?"

As Sophie gradually began to realize she wasn't going to get the science kit, her face began to quiver, her mouth began to wobble, and before Alek and Deryn could notice the warning signs and prevent the inevitable, she'd let out an ear-piercing scream.

"Oh no, sweetie, it's okay!" Alek said futilely, scooping his daughter up in his arms.

Artemis, quiet until now, tugged his mother's shirt to get her attention. "Wha' 'bout pwesents fa me?" he asked politely.

Deryn, at the end of her rope, snapped, "It's not your birthday!"

Taken aback by her rough answer, Artemis's face, too, began to tremble, and Deryn's eyes widened as she realized the gravity of her mistake. "No, wait, I didn't mean-"

She was cut off as Artemis let off a wail to match his sister's. "Barking spiders," she muttered.

_._

_Tenth_

_._

Deryn glanced over the shopping list. "This's gonna be hard."

Alek let out a sigh. "Indeed," he agreed. "So what do we have?"

Deryn handed him the sheet of paper. "Well, Artemis has got a whole giant long list written out for _his_ birthday next month."

As Alek read over his son's wants, his brow furrowed. "What would the boy want five blue feathers for?"

His wife shrugged, giving him an 'I-have-absolutely-no-idea' face. Shaking his head, Alek looked over the list again, then frowned. "Hang on. It's Sophie's birthday we're preparing for, but she hasn't written anything down."

Deryn grimaced. "Tell me about it. She said she 'likes surprises'."

Alek glanced at her, his look one of hopeless despondency. "So we have to guess?"

"Aye," Deryn said, before adding a "Blast" under her breath for good measure. "Can't we just do what we did when she was little, and get her something fuzzy?"

_._

_Fifteenth_

_._

"But Mother, this is hardly anything compared to last year," Sophie complained, staring at the small pile of presents she'd received for fifteenth birthday.

"Yes, but they're all worth a lot more," Deryn retorted. "I thought you wanted all this stuff?"

"I _did_," she replied, "when I was _fourteen_."

Deryn inwardly winced. To be honest, she and Alek had bought most of these presents the year before, to prevent the disaster of the twelfth birthday (an incident involving Artemis, toy planes, and flammable substances) ever happening again. "But what about those test tubes?"

At this, Sophie smiled. "Now _those_, I'm incredibly pleased with. But really, Mother? A 'brand-new' adurator? The newest model came out a few weeks ago, with even higher degrees of heat!"

Muttering under her breath, Deryn said, "You're lucky we even agreed to get you a barking flame-creator thingie."

"I know Mother, and I'm grateful, but, it's just…" she let off. "I'm really disappointed, you know?"

"Then we can go out and get that stuff tomorrow, if you'd like," Deryn said, frustrated. "And we can return the old stuff. How does that sound?"

"Good, Mother, I suppose," Sophie muttered, still peeved.

Frowning, Deryn advanced upon her daughter. "Now listen, your father and I do a lot for you-"

"Father's not even here! He's off at some stupid meeting!"

"That's not his fault! You know he's busy-"

"Yes, I know, I know. Emperor of Austria. But if he's so rich, how come it's so hard to have a good birthday with you two as parents?"

"Because that money is the country's! You live in a barking palace, what more could you want?"

"A little _time_, maybe? You're both always so busy! Come to think of it, why aren't you at the meeting too, huh?"

Because they're sexist and think I, as a woman, should stay at home on your birthday, Deryn thought, but said instead another truth, "Because I argued to be here, that's why! You're fifteen! At your age I was preparing to-"

"Join the Air Force and 'save the world'!" Sophie exclaimed in a mocking tone. "Yes, yes, you were _sooo great_ when you were fifteen, weren't you? Just absolutely brilliant! Well, we can't all be heroic like you, _Mother_!" She spat the name out with venom. "What if I want to go down a different path? Why can't you support me being a scientist?"

"I _do_!" Deryn shouted in aggravation, waving a hand at all the birthday gifts. "All of those are for your little experiments!"

"But you don't like, not really! You wish I liked flying like you!"

"Of course I do!" Deryn seethed. "That's pretty obvious, isn't it?"

"And that's why Artemis always gets the special attention! 'Oo, Artemis this, Artemis that! He's such a wonderful flying ace!' But not me, never me! I'm smarter than him and you know it! But I don't get congratulated when I bring home tons of As in science and math, not like him when he brings home only one or two! You always treat him better!"

"Now that's not tr-"

"I hate you!" Sophie shouted, tears staining her eyes. "This is the worst birthday ever!" Turning away, she ran upstairs to her room, leaving a gaping Deryn standing by herself in the living room.

Abruptly, she sat down on the couch and held her head in her hands.

…

The moon perched high in the sky as Deryn gently cracked open the door to her daughter's room and walked into the dark. "Sophie?" she called out gently. No reply.

Slowly, Deryn made her way to her daughter's bed and sat down. The form under the blankets remained perfectly still. "Sophie?" Deryn asked again, pushing the comforter back a bit to reveal a head of hair, which quickly ducked back underneath the cover.

Sitting there, Deryn reached out one hand to gently rub her daughter's shoulder through the comforter. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I really am." Deryn reached behind her back and pulled out a small box. "But you left before I could give you the final present." Softly, Deryn stood up and left the box on the nightstand, before exiting the room. She left the door open a crack so she could watch her daughter more.

As expected, Sophie's head slowly popped out, and the newly fifteen-year-old girl reached for the box to open it. Once what was inside had been revealed to her, she let out a small gasp. "Oh!" Deryn watched as her eyes began to tear up, and Sophie closed the box and set in back on her nightstand, shocked by the importance and meaning of the four slips of paper inside.

Deryn, about to pull away from the door, was halted by her daughter's voice. "Thank you Mother," she said, and Deryn peeked back in to see Sophie fighting through sniffles. "I know it was you who thought of this. Thank you so much."

Deryn gave a small smile. "You're welcome," she whispered into the dark.

Another whispered reply came back. "And I'm sorry," Sophie murmured. Thinking, she added, "I love you, Mother. No matter what I said earlier, I love you."

Smiling, Deryn nodded to her daughter and shut the door.

And as she walked away, the image of her daughter smiling through tears and clutching a ragged, torn, dirty, badly-made, hand-sewn perspicacious loris with uneven lumps and limbs etched itself into Deryn's memory.

…

Soooo…this ended up being dedicated to parents (and moms in particular) almost as much as birthdays. But yes. How'd you like it?

And no, for the record, I am _not_ like that! Nothing from this chapter was taken from personal experience! And yet, now my strange outburst is only making you suspicious, isn't it? *shifty-eyes* xP My brother is, surprisingly enough, the moody one in the family. When I passed the whole moodswing stage without any trouble, my parents should have guessed they'd get hit with full force on the next child. Seriously, my brother's moods are a force to be reckoned with. (My mom calls him her teenage daughter. xP)

Also, can anyone guess why I would choose today of all days to make a birthday-themed chapter? (Nudge nudge wink wink.) ^^

On a completely unrelated note, reviews make wonderful presents. ;P

And speaking of reviews, time for those anonymous ones!

Pony:

1. Awesome, you're in Washington D.C.? I hope you're having fun! And thanks! I'm glad you liked the two chapters!

2. Haha, yeah, after I posted, I checked Yahoo and saw a Review Alert, and I was thinking 'What? Someone's read it that fast?' And then I found out you were reviewing the first two chapters! The 'well, update soon plz!' at the end cracked me up, because I knew I'd just updated. ;P Anyways, thanks! I'm glad you liked the chapter, and I apologize that this update wasn't _quite_ as soon as the last one. But less than a day apart is pretty good, dontcha think? ;)

oraldisaster101: Thanks! Yeah, I think Lilit should get her happily ever after. After all, she's an awesome character. ^^ And angry Lilit, hmm…interesting idea. ;) Again, thanks! I'm really glad you're enjoying what I write!

limitlessdreamer: Haha, go music people! *high-fives* That's really neat you're majoring in music! If you don't mind me asking, what instrument? Anyways, thanks for the input on all three chapters! ^^

Well, guess what folks? There shall be a new chapter _tomorrow_! Yep, that soon again! But tomorrow's chapter sort of has to be posted on that date, and you'll see why then. ;) See ya in the next chapter!


	5. A Mistake

And hello again! Third update in a row! I'm on a roll! Anyways, the reason I'm posting this chapter today is because today is the 97th anniversary of the event in this new chapter.

Now, this chapter is slightly AU for Leviathan, because it's set in the real world. I actually wrote this as an English assignemnt: after reading _In Cold Blood_, by Truman Capote, my teacher gave us the assignment to write our own nonfiction short story, using fiction elements to document real events. As Truman Capote obviously did in his book, I took some liberties with the facts. All of the cold hard facts should be correct, but what the main character of this piece was actually thinking at the time won't ever be known.

Also, present-tense. I was in a present-tense mood when I wrote this.

And as a slight warning, this is not a warm, fuzzy piece. Not in the slightest.

Anyways, yeah. Enough chitter chatter, here's the next chapter!

A Mistake

_"Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes."_

_~James A. Froude_

It is just a job. It is only an assignment.

Gavrilo Princip, proud member of the Black Hand, sits in a small food shop. _Schiller's delicatessen_, says the sign on the door. He keeps one eye out the window, watching the streets carefully, and gently caresses the bulge in his pocket. A Belgian-made nine by seventeen millimeter Fabrique Nationale model 1910 semi-automatic pistol: it will suit his purposes just fine.

Princip and his group have already failed once today. A bomb, to be tossed at the target's car, was more tricky than expected. Mehmedbašić, the first in position to throw the bomb, failed to act. The same happened of Vaso Čubrilović. It was Nedeljko Čabrinović who threw his bomb, right at the target's car in the motorcade. It missed-unfortunately. Rolling under another vehicle, the timer went off and detonated. The target was still safe.

Thinking on this, Princip feels a slight twinge of relief; but this doesn't make sense. It is just a job. The target may have family, but that does not matter. For the sake of his country, only the job matters.

Sarajevo is a peaceful place, capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, but not for long. A small group of Serbians, Princip among them, comes to disrupt the peace.

It is June 28th, 1914. There is nothing remarkable about the date. The sky is blue; the grass is green; the air is still.

Princip stands up, an urge to leave the food shop driving him to do so. Still fingering his gun, he exits into the outside air.

There. A black car, the target's, is reversing down the street. It must have gone the wrong direction, and is trying to mend the mistake. It stalls. Princip takes his chance.

Whipping his gun free and smacking a pedestrian out of the way with the weapon, Princip goes up to the car, levels the tool, sights it, and fires. They are close shots, from only five feet, straight into the vehicle, but he only gets in two before the police rain down upon him, seizing his weapon from his grasp. He fights, but not very hard. His task seems to be completed.

Even incapacitated, he sees the two struggle, both still sitting upright. One, the man, Franz Ferdinand, is indeed his intended target, and he rejoices to see one of his shots clipped the Austro-Hungarian in the jugular. A woman struggles beside him, and he frowns. It is Ferdinand's wife, Sophie. She is not a target. As she clutches her abdomen, Princip feels a slight sting of pity. It is only a job, though. He pushes away the feelings, and becomes a stone.

The police have him in their hold, while others rush to the scene of his success. As close as he is, he can hear the two speaking, the ones he has shot.

"Sophie, Sophie!" Ferdinand mutters, staring despondently at his dying wife in the seat next to him. She had thrown herself over her husband to save him. He reaches out a feeble arm, tries to grab her, to hold onto her, as if he can prevent her death.

Princip feels another twinge. Again, he pushes the feelings away.

Ferdinand continues to speak to her, his voice desperate. It is a death rattle now, a chilling vibrado in German, his native tongue. "Don't die!" he says. "Live for our children!" he commands. She does not.

A man, unknown to Princip, asks Ferdinand, "How bad is your injury? Tell me, Franz, how bad is it?" The man knows, though, Princip can tell. One does not take a bullet in the neck and expect it to be okay.

Ferdinand feels differently. "_Es ist nichts_," he murmurs. It is _not_ nothing. "_Es ist nichts_." Princip has killed him, he knows he has. It is only a matter of time. "_Es ist nichts_," Ferdinand says again, repeating the mantra under his breath, as if saying so will make it true.

Princip watches, even as he is taken away. The scene fascinates him. He has killed a man. He has done so for his country. He knows he has.

Yet, why does he feel this ever present twinge? No, that's not right, for he doesn't. He feels _no_ regret. He has _no_ regret. He has done what is _right_. He has saved everyone. The violence now shall prevent much future violence. Princip is positive.

Franz Ferdinand dies ten minutes later. His wife dies much sooner. Princip does not care. It is a job. It is only a job. There are now fresh children without parents, but Princip does not care. It is a job, only a job. Today, he has helped his country, with this job, has led them one step closer to their goal of annexing the territory that should rightfully be theirs. The violence is short, and brief, and will not last. It will end with the satisfaction of his people.

On the same day, Austria-Hungary declares war with Serbia.

By the end of 1914, the whole _world_ is in war.

Gavrilo Princip understands now. It was a job. It was only a job.

It was a mistake.

...

Annnnd...kind of a depressing piece. But I still feel it ties into the fandom of Leviathan because it does involve Franz Ferdinand and Sophie. In the Leviathan world, this attempt failed also, but not in the real world. Unfortunately.

Anonymous reviews now-

limitlessdreamer: Ah, a vocalist, neat! And haha, thanks! Your review right there made my day. ;)

HopelessRomantic: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it! And haha, yeah, I don't think Deryn would be too pleased if Doctor Barlow sort of took over her daughter. I'm also suprised you're on Sophie's side! I was afraid I was making her too antagonistic, but I guess that's not the case. Phew. And I do know Dr. Barlow had children (I intend to feature them in a chapter someday, but after much research) and that does make you wonder. You're right, Dr. Barlow would just flip! Or be severely disappointed. Even if you were really good at something else, I'd imagine the parents would still wish you liked what they did.

See you all in the next chapter!


	6. Exploration

Right off the bat here, I need to apologize for not updating for so long. One, I was on another vacation (which, uh, I should have warned you about) and two, the main reason really, I was struck by writer's block. You all know the feeling: stare at the page, absolutely _nothing_ comes out.

It's very frustrating.

Anyways, because of the writer's block, I feel this chapter is definitely pretty weak. I wanted to include more Darwinist and Clanker stuff, but I wasn't really sure how.

Now, for some explaining. You all remember how the summary says 'Drabbles featuring anything and everything under the sun in the Leviathan 'verse'? Yeah, well, now we're hitting some of that. See, this chapter heavily features characters that _aren't _part of the _Leviathan_ universe. There is a small cameo at the end, but still. I had to. ;P

Exploration

_"The dinosaurs became extinct because they didn't have a space program. And if we become extinct because we don't have a space program, it'll serve us right!"  
><em>_~Larry Niven_

"Buzz, can you fix the glitch in the system?"

"Getting to it."

"Anytime now would be great."

"Hold your fabs, Mike!"

"Michael."

"Mike's easier."

"Want me to call you _Edwin_, 'Buzz'?"

"…Fine, Michael it is. Anyways, I'm just finishing up a slight creak over here."

"Just a creak?"

"Could've expanded into a crack."

"Ah. Need anything?"

"A wrench would be great."

"On it." With a bound, Michael pushed his feet down and took a flying leap through the module, somersaulting a bit on his way over to the tool wall.

"Show-off," Buzz grunted under his breath, applying a high-pressure sealant to the loose bolt. Looking up, he spotted the wrench floating past him, tossed by Michael, and reached out to grab it, keeping his other hand on one of the lead ropes along the side of the vehicle to steady himself and prevent him from floating off with the wrench. He grabbed the tool and set to work, cranking the bolt a bit to the right and sighing in satisfaction as it tightened firmly in place.

Calling to Michael, he asked, "Where's the glitch?"

Michael opened his mouth to answer, but was stopped as the third and final member of their crew entered the room. "Already taken care of," Neil replied, giving the two other men a wide grin. "Also, I figured I'd mention we're approaching time."

"Already?" Buzz asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" Neil exclaimed. With a jaunty wink, he said, "You boys ready to make history?"

"Without a doubt!" Michael said excitedly.

"You betcha!" Buzz replied.

"Good," Neil said, "I thought as much. Gear up, then. I'll get ready to detach us from the _Columbia_."

As he glided out of the room, Buzz and Michael grinned widely at each other, before doing as Neil had ordered. Michael began to put on the suit, a large bulky object felt like it nearly tripled his weight. White and large, it had taken quite a bit of fumbling the first time he'd tried it on, but after many practices down at the base, he'd become adept at the process of putting the suit on and off. Gently, he reached behind him to the back of his suit and stroked the purple moss, bred to produce pure oxygen without any necessary materials like carbon dioxide for approximately three hours without fail. If this moss hadn't been fabricated, they would have had to lug up heavy oxygen tanks, and goodness knows the _Columbia_ was heavy enough as it was.

A large ship, the command module was made of Clanker material only: Darwinist fabs simply could not be used for the sheer exertion, power, and force of the trip proposed to be made, and had indeed been made now. Pure metal was what got them up here; metal and _lots _of fuel.

Sometimes, Michael remembered what had happened to the first test flight, Apollo 1, and of how he, Buzz and Neil were so incredibly lucky that everything had gone as planned. No fires, nothing. Without a hitch, they'd been rocketed on the eleventh Apollo into outer space.

And now, the time for the biggest moment in history was arriving.

Once he'd finished putting on the suit, he and Buzz left the main room and followed Neil into the lunar module, a much smaller fit for the three of them, but a fit nonetheless. As they arrived, Neil told them, "I've already spoken to the folks back down at NASA. They've got complete control of the _Columbia_, and will be monitoring our descent in the _Eagle_." He smiled to them. "Everything's all set, boys."

Taking a deep breath, Michael watched in fear and awe as the door of the lunar module, the _Eagle_, closed itself, and they were launched from the command module and sent down, down, down towards the moon.

Gently, finally, with bated breath, Michael kept his eyes on Neil as he steered the ship slowly.

A slight bump, and Michael released his breath, eyes shining.

They'd done it. They were here.

They were for the first men on the moon.

Grabbing a radio transmitter (a device that worked through opposing Tesla devices sending electronic and radio signals across great distances to the opposite one), Neil held down a button on the side and reported:

"Mode control - both auto. Descent engine command override off. Engine arm - off. 413 is in."

"We copy you down, _Eagle_."

"Engine arm is off….Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The _Eagle_ has landed."

In response came a crackly cheer from the men back on Earth, a cheer that warmed the hearts of the three astronauts on board the lunar module.

A little bit more work to be done, and then the door of the _Eagle_ was open and descending slowly downwards, until the ramp hit the ground of the moon with a slight thump that could not be heard through the domed helmets outfitting all three astronauts.

As Michael watched in barely contained excitement, Neil Armstrong parted from his colleagues, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, and took a step, the first step, on to the gray surface of the moon.

Michael grinned widely as Neil's voice crackled over the comm system built into the suits and helmets of the astronauts:

"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

Over two hundred thousands of miles away, the Earth celebrated.

In particular, one couple, in their late sixties, watched in awe.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Deryn murmured, struck by incredulity.

"Indeed," Alek agreed, equally amazed.

Suddenly smirking, Deryn ribbed Alek. "Reckon I could pilot a ship up there?"

Alek's aghast look was answer enough, and Deryn burst out laughing.

…

So there you have it! A bit of alternate history there. ;) I'm not so sure I did very well with it, but in the future I'll make sure to do better.

**True or False**: Like Scott, I'm going to explain some historical things that are accurate, and are not.

1. The biggest change in this piece is Michael Collins accompanying Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon landing. In reality, he stayed behind in the command module the _Columbia_ and monitored the _Eagle_'s descent to the moon, checking to make sure the lunar module had no damage. Still, I always felt bad for the poor guy, so I decided that, at the very least, he gets to go to the moon in my fanfiction. ^^

2. On the descent to the moon, there was actually a series of alarms that went off, so it wasn't exactly smooth sailing. But everything turned out to be all right, and I found that it would be easier simply to cut that out from the piece.

3. I have no idea about the personalities of Michael, Neil, and Buzz. Their entire conversation is, obviously, made-up, as are their characters' thoughts and actions. I took quite a few liberties there.

4. Obviously, there was no Darwinist moss (who said they couldn't fabricate plants?) and Tesla radio thingies. I just needed to make it a bit more Leviathany.

5. The date, for anyone who's curious, was July 20th, 1969, and pretty much everyone who owned a TV was tuned in to see the moon landing. Big deal, folks! The command and lunar modules of Apollo 11 were really named as such, and yep. I think I'm done here.

Though I can't say I know all that much about space, I do love the idea of it, and I think the exploration of space, moon landings, shuttle launches, and so on, are all a valuable investment in science and the future, and can only serve to further humankind to great heights.

If you can't tell, I'm more than a little miffed that the space program's been cut.

Enough with that. On to anonymous reviews!

Pony: Thanks! Haha, I'm glad you liked it!

Rick Peterson: Thanks so much! And yeah, I suppose they did get what they wanted, no matter the cost. A very dark time in history.

oraldisaster101: Haha, thanks! I'm glad you liked it, and yeah, anyone with siblings, especially younger ones, does tend to feel that way. Muaha, so now I'm obligated to write an angry Lilit? ;P No worries, I will. Of course, I've still got plenty of other ideas to get to! Also, nice quote! ;)

HopelessRomantic: It was indeed the anniversary. That was really the main reason I held off posting that piece for so long. It really was a tragedy, and I tried to keep all of the actions of the event as true as possible, so Sophie really did throw herself over Franz, and he really did say 'It is nothing.' And yeah, I wrote it for school. But I doubt it's better than anything you can do! Plus, I don't think I'm that much older than you. I still feel really young. Which I am, you know, in the grand scheme of things, but still. If you want talent, go steal from Julia456. xP

See you all in the next chapter!


	7. Flight

I'm terribly sorry for taking so long in updating! I just…I needed to take a break, for some reason. I worked some on my original story, and now I think I'm back up to writing on here. Don't worry, updates should be a bit more regular now, I promise. ;)

Now, contrary to what you might think when you start reading, this chapter is not about an OC. His character does not have a first name in the books (at least, I don't remember one) so I've named him accordingly (and kudos if you can figure out why!).

So here we go!

Flight

"_My soul is in the sky."_

_~William Shakespeare_

Thomas was in love.

He was so thoroughly in love, so completely enthralled, that she was the only thing to occupy his mind.

Her and her alone.

She was beautiful. Gorgeous. Amazing. Breathtaking.

She was the type of girl that passerby stopped and gaped at, slack-jawed, eyes wide, dumbfounded, awestruck.

Incredible.

And he wanted her.

Thomas wanted her so badly, with all his heart, with all his mind, body, and soul, he wanted her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to devote his entire life to her.

He was obsessed with her.

The_ Leviathan_.

First of her kind, first of a new generation of Darwinist fabs, topping the Germans' zeppelins by miles and miles. She was even scheduled to make a nonstop trip, all the way to India, and _back_.

Incredible.

Thomas stared up at her, knowing full well what he wanted.

He would captain her someday. For the rest of his life, he would captain her.

True, he needed to work his way up. He was only a middy now, just about to be one. But he would become captain.

The boy was only seventeen as he gazed up at the mighty airship, a slight twisting of his sleeves giving away the nervousness and apprehension he felt at leaving home, belayed by the strong sense of excitement and adventure he knew was to come.

The_ Leviathan_ was his destiny, his destiny to pilot.

Captain Hobbes...it had a nice ring to it.

...

I feel that this guy doesn't get any recognition, and I'm not even sure if there have been any fanfics on him. I do intend to write more about him, as I think his character and his backstory can likely be explored some.

It may be just me. I don't know. But I don't think he's a bad guy. I think he's just a good captain, loyal to England and the rulebook.

Reviews!

Pony: Thanks! And haha, no, the series aren't connected, but I just felt that, since _Tomorrow_ was sort of a step up from _Today_, I'd continue the little pattern I had. I'm glad you thought it was original!

Oraldisaster101: That piece on angry Lilit is currently in the brainstorming department. I'm still trying to figure out a good way to turn it into a chapter, so it may take a little while. I promise you, it will be out someday, though. ;) Anyways, thanks!

HopelessRomantic: Thanks! Haha, yeah, I would imagine that Deryn would be intrigued by the idea of going into space, but by this point in time, she's probably too old. Sadness. And haha, love the history in your family! Also, you should definitely map out the _Leviathan_ family! Julia456 is most definitely the mother, and haha, you'd be the little sister? Hmmm...now who would I be? *ponders* Anywho, you're about a year and a half younger than me? Does that mean you're going to be a *gasp* _fish_? ('Tis what we call freshmen in my school. xP) Also, I think it's_ you_ who sounds a lot like _me_. (Since, you know, I'm older and all that. ;P)

See you all in the next chapter! (Which shall be out in a lot less time than this one took!)


	8. Unrestraint

No long explanations at the beginning of this chapter.

My first attempt at this genre. Also, uh, if you're squeamish…I'd really advise you not to read.

_**Rating bumped to M for this chapter: **This is a horror chapter. Therefore, gratuitous violence. Mainly just one scene. Still, if that's not your thing, I'd really advise you to skip. ****_

Set a few years in the future, hence Dr. Barlow's knowledge of Deryn's gender.

Unrestraint

_"Truly great madness cannot be achieved without significant intelligence."_

_~Henrik Tikkanen_

Dr. Barlow followed Dr. Blane around with obvious displeasure. Keeping up a cool, collected mask, she asked questions that any curious scientist would. "How long has this project been going on?"

"Four years next week," Dr. Blane said excitedly, his gentle face creased in smiles. "But we're positive everything will be finished by then."

"I see," she responded quietly, mulling over everything in her head. Unfortunately, 'everything' was barely anything. Little information had been given to her, but she knew Dr. Blane well, a colleague from the olden days (as young Miss Sharp would say), and didn't trust him in the slightest.

He appeared gentle, and kind. His face was soft, his features even now child-like, his eyes always wide and innocent.

She had learned to read those eyes long ago, and had not liked what she'd seen.

"Now this here," he began, leading Dr. Barlow into a long corridor, "is the observation area." He rapped a hand on the glass lining the corridor, really a suspended catwalk. Peering into the glass, Dr. Barlow noted that the room was one level beneath them, and currently empty. "No one's there currently because the subject has been located to Room 23B, our designated testing unit. That's where we're heading now."

Dr. Barlow followed him diligently, still disturbed in the back of her mind. She knew precious little about this 'subject', and that was what scared her so. She didn't even know its purpose. All she knew was that, supposedly, it would bring greatness to England.

Not likely, not if Dr. Blane was involved.

"Here we are!" he announced in grandiose fashion, sweeping his arm out to indicate a solidly set steel door, with a thick glass window. He did a quick glance inside and frowned. "Hmm, seems Dr. Medliff is in the back. Ah well, I'll open it up then." Punching in a long stream of numbers to a weird, Clanker device, Dr. Barlow blinked in surprise as the door opened itself with a click.

Pulling the handle, Dr. Blane stepped inside and beckoned for Dr. Barlow to follow. She did so with more than a fair bit of apprehension, and inwardly winced as the door clicked shut behind them. Apparently outwardly too, as Dr. Blane gave her a kindly smile. "Don't worry, it's only locked to the outside. We had a malfunction once, with a scientist trapped in here a full day, and so took out the feature. It wasn't really needed, anyway." Gesturing around him, he added, "Pretty nice room, isn't it?"

Dr. Barlow nodded absentmindedly, taking in her surroundings. A large room, the walls were painted a sterile white and lined with stainless steel desks and worktables. Test tubes and beakers and many many more science implements littered the space, and she turned to her former colleague. "Is this it?"

He scoffed. "Hardly. But before I introduce you to Giggles, I'll-"

"Wait, what?" Dr. Barlow interjected, quite bemused. "You named the creature _Giggles_?"

"Affirmative."

"…_Why_? What on Earth does this fab _do_?"

He wagged a finger in front of her face and made a tsk tsk noise. "Uh uh uh," he said. "I'm getting to that. You see, we named her Giggles for the strange noise she makes. It sounds remarkably reminiscent of a small girl child giggling. Thus we assumed it to be an appropriate name. Now, Giggles was created on demand by the highest power in our country. For fear of another Great War, I was told to create a fab that would, with ease, end any war as soon as it begins."

Dr. Barlow felt goosebumps start to arise on her arms, and stared intently at Dr. Blane, hoping he was not going the direction she feared.

"So we created Giggles. She's quite a strange hybrid, part praying mantis, Sydney Funnel Web Spider, saltwater crocodile, and squid. Oh, and, of course, the special ingredient." He gave her a grin, his smile still so seemingly wide and innocent. His eyes, however, alit as they were in excitement, also betrayed his madness.

Dr. Barlow was aghast at the creature they were describing. This…this was a killing machine! They were creating a killing machine! "What," she choked out, "is the secret ingredient?"

The good doctor Blane's smile broadened. "Human DNA," he whispered, and Dr. Barlow blanched.

"You're not allowed to experiment with human DNA," she told him forcefully, her hands starting to tremble at the thought of the terrible creature they were making.

Dr. Blane shrugged. "We've been given clearance. And there's no need to worry. We simply swiped it off an orphan girl on the street, paid her a few bucks for it. It was no big deal, no harm done."

She was horrified. Seemingly not noticing the expression on her face, Dr. Blane walked up to another number panel, connected to another steel door. "This leads into the back room," he said, as if Dr. Barlow's reaction had never happened. "Dr. Medliff should be back here, as well as Giggles. Of course, she's well contained, safe in a glass enclosure and chained to the walls. In case of emergency, we've prepared a steel lockdown system, to cover the glass. She has no way to break through." The steel door before him slid open, different from the previous door. "This one is locked on both sides," he explained, "for sheer safety. Giggles must always be contained, of course." He stepped inside, and waved at Dr. Barlow to follow him. "Come come."

Nervously, hesitantly, she followed him in, wanting to protest. However, her better judgment had been overcome by her immense curiosity, what had sent her into the 'boffin' field in the first place.

Inside the room, a much smaller room, was a table. A long table covered in white cloth. And covering one wall was a large steel plate.

Dr. Barlow noticed all of these things afterwards. What hit her first was the _stench._ A God-awful stench, the likes of which she'd never experienced, except for a one-time visit to the emergency section of the hospital. But she wasn't a medical doctor, and thus couldn't completely identify the smell. It did seem familiar, though….Bringing up her arm to cover her mouth and nose, she coughed out, "What _is _that?"

Dr. Blane was just as confused as she was. "I have no idea," he admitted, his eyes trained on the steel wall. "Now this is strange," he murmured. Dr. Barlow watched him. "The steel lockdown system has been activated. Poor Giggles, all alone in the dark. We'd considered adding cat DNA to the mix, to allow for night vision, but decided against it. Too many different creatures might make her unstable." As he set to work on deactivating the lockdown, Dr. Barlow began to search for the stench.

As she walked around the room, or, more specifically, around the table, she came to a screeching halt at the slight splashing sound at her feet. Looking down, her eyes widened as she stared at the red liquid, spread in a small pool across the floor.

It came from underneath the table.

Against all better judgment, every part of her screaming not to, Dr. Barlow simply had to know. Fighting down gags, she lifted up the tablecloth, secured it to the table so it wouldn't fall back into place, then looked down.

And threw up.

At the sound of her retching, Dr. Blane came over, took one look underneath the table, and fainted, eyes rolling up in his head as he simply collapsed on the ground, soaking his right side in red.

Dr. Barlow stared at the grotesque sight before her, fighting back even more nausea.

She knew what she was seeing. But she couldn't believe it. Didn't want to believe it.

Before her, under the table, was a creature so unfamiliar and strange, and yet something Dr. Barlow knew inside and out.

Its flesh was red, glistening in blood, and exposed like it shouldn't be to the air around it.

Flesh should never be exposed like that.

Swallowing hard, Dr. Barlow's eyes flickered beyond it, noting, on its other side, there was a torn pile of clothing, an ID card barely visible.

Dr. Barlow didn't have to know what it said, though.

She could already guess well enough.

She vomited once more as she found the pile of thin, pale substance, almost like rubber, down by the feet of it. A pile of skin.

How could…how could…how was this even possible?

What on Earth could be created to _skin_ _a person alive_!

Dr. Barlow just gaped at the sight of what must have been Dr. Medliff, his scarlet muscles exposed to the world, his skin stripped away like clothing. Blood continued to pump out of him and onto the floor.

Wait a minute…his heart was still beating?

Even more horrified, Dr. Barlow turned to stare at his face.

Eyes wide and conscious, Dr. Medliff stared right back, unable to move a muscle.

If Dr. Barlow had been a screamer, she would have done so at this moment. But that wasn't her. She could only stare into the eyes of this man, could only wonder feebly at the excruciating pain he must be feeling, the pain of being skinned alive, and _still alive._

Next to her, she could hear Dr. Blane waking up and groaning, making disgusted noises at the liquid now dripping across his right side. She could hear him turn, and then gasp, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Dr. Medliff.

The living dead man continued to stare then, with what seemed a great amount of exertion, flicked his eyes upwards. To the ceiling.

Slowly, Dr. Barlow lifted her head, first glancing to the right to see Dr. Blane staring at the glass wall supposed to hold 'Giggles' in, the steel having been removed due to his earlier efforts.

A gaping hole, cut neatly, greeted her.

Without her eyes lingering, they continued their upward path, until she was staring straight up at the ceiling.

And into the eyes of a monster.

She took in everything with a blink of her eyes: the massive crocodile jaws, the mandibles of the Sydney Funnel Web protruding from each side, the praying mantis arms, the reptilian legs, the human torso and body shape, covered in thick crocodile scales, the squid tentacles whipping around on its back, the thick crocodile tail, held stiff as a rod.

She had no idea how it was clinging to the ceiling.

She didn't care to find out.

Her reaction was instantaneous. With a leap, she bolted around the table and straight for the door, flinging it open and rushing out the other side, slamming it shut behind her and propping her back against it. A roar greeted her efforts, and a slamming sound as the war fab thudded against the door, almost sending Dr. Barlow sprawling, her bowler hat flying off her head. She scrambled back into place and kept her shoulder against the door, punching buttons on the panel in the rare hope that she could lock the monster in, and keep it there.

"Dr. Barlow, let me out!" Dr. Blane screamed, his voice filled with that of primal terror. Luckily for him, 'Giggles' seemed too preoccupied with the door.

"No!" Dr. Barlow shouted back, feeling only a slight amount of remorse. If Dr. Blane had to be sacrificed to keep others from harm, then so be it.

"You can't lock the door without my help!" he pleaded, his voice cracking all over the place, tears starting to run down his face as he entered hysterics. "No one else is at work today, I'm the only one who can close that door! If I die, she'll be free!"

Dr. Barlow was about to spit back a hasty retort when the pressure against the door suddenly ceased. "What-?" she murmured, turning to peer through the small glass window in the steel door. She gasped as she saw the beast advancing upon Dr. Blane. He pressed his back futilely against the wall, then dived for the glass enclosure, hoping to crawl through the hole, anything to put distance between himself and 'Giggles'.

He never made it.

Dr. Barlow jerked back in shock as screams of utter terror cut through to her ears, and hot blood sprayed the window, staring. And, as it turned towards her, she realized that he was right. The door couldn't be locked without him.

And 'Giggles' knew that perfectly well.

For an instant, their eyes met. And in its, Dr. Barlow could see human intelligence, product of using human DNA.

Grabbing for a chair, Dr. Barlow tore away from its gaze and propped the chair against the door, a futile effort, but hopefully enough to allow her to get to safety.

As she ran out of the room and down the corridor, she could hear several metallic bangs, punctuated by a strange giggling noise.

Good God, the creature was having fun.

Dr. Barlow ran like she'd never run before through the corridors of the building, hoping she was going the right way based on their earlier route. A loud crash reverberated through the corridors, and she knew that it had broken free.

Upon reaching the main room of the building, a large area with a high roof, Dr. Barlow darted for the door, was just about to open it-

A massive tail slammed into the wall, just inches from her face, and immediately withdrew. Dr. Barlow spun around and stared up at the creature, likely eight feet tall, and backed into the door, scrabbling futilely at the knob. Both of its praying mantis claws shot out on either side of her, not allowing her the ability to move.

Dr. Barlow was trapped.

'Giggles' leaned slowly forward, crocodile jaws part, and brought its face an inch from Dr. Barlow's, letting out a large huff and blowing foul breath in her face. Its lips drew back as it grinned a crocodile grin, and, very deliberately, turned its head so Dr. Barlow could stare into one of its eyes.

It winked.

Dr. Barlow's jaw dropped, and her whole body quivered in fear, and a certain realization.

"This," she squeaked out, then took a deep breath. "This is all a game to you, isn't it?" she asked softly.

Its grin broadened. "Heeheehee," it giggled, nodding ever so slightly.

"Why aren't you killing me?" she questioned hoarsely.

It tapped her on the shoulder with its tail, and she paled. "I'm…'it'?"

Once more, the fab giggled.

"You choose me to be your opponent?" Her breaths began to grow ragged with fear and suspense. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening.

It drew its head closer, going right beside Dr. Barlow, one of the mandibles on the side of its jaw almost scraping against her cheek. In a child's voice, a voice that rumbled through its chest and was almost incomprehensible to Dr. Barlow, but still made very clear, it whispered, "Hide and seek."

Whipping around, 'Giggles' withdrew from Dr. Barlow and bolted straight for one of the windows, hurtling through it and running outside the building, free and unrestrained to roam London.

Dr. Barlow could only stare, trembling, at the smashed windows leaking evening light into the facility, at the thought of this dangerous fab loose in London, at all the people it would see as prey.

She took a deep breath and walked slowly but surely back to the main testing room, and found its door ajar. She averted her eyes from the window to the back room, and bent down to the floor to pick up her bowler hat.

Once she settled it firmly on her head once more, Dr. Barlow began to search the room for files, intent, more so than she'd ever been in her life, on winning this particular game.

…

So, apparently, I'm on a bit of a horror kick. I don't really watch horror movies (as they freak me out) but stories I don't mind. Anyways, I watched Alien for the first time ever (didn't scare me as much I thought because a) I already knew what was going to happen, and b) I played Caramelldansen during parts I thought the alien would pop out…significantly less scary that way), and thought it might be interesting to try a little horror writing of my own. Hence this chapter.

Also, I do apologize if you really dislike violence. I did give you fair warning in the author's note, though, so yeah. See, for some reason, violence doesn't bug me. I mean, I'm sure if it happened in real life, I'd be terrified. But in books? Nah. And in movies, it's only those stupid things that pop out of nowhere that get me. (You have no idea how many years I was terrified of those stupid heads behind the graves in the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney.) So writing this sort of stuff…well, blood and gore doesn't really get to me. Maybe it's because my generation's been sort of desensitized to violence on TV? No idea.

Apart from the horror, I also kind of wanted to throw the question out there: What's stopping the Darwinists from making a fab like this? Going onwards in the _Leviathan_ universe, we can see (if you follow Scott's blog) that the Japanese have kappas. Not to mention the war fabs already created by Darwinists, like the Behemoth. So what's to stop them from taking it a step farther? What would World War II be like, if the creatures only advanced further and further, as well as the Clanker's machines? Even without nukes, the Darwinists and Clankers in this alternate universe could very easily annihilate themselves.

I'm not really sure how scary this actual chapter is. I suppose your mileage may vary. Like I said, first time writing horror, and it's probably not even that scary. Because I can picture it exactly in my head, it seems scary to me, but I dun know 'bout you folk.

Again, I apologize for the violence. 'Then why write this chapter in the first place?' Honestly, I have no idea. I wanted to write it. And once I wrote it, I figured it'd be better to get it out there, get critique, as opposed to just letting it sit on Word forever.

Reviews!

Oraldisaster101: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, and I'm also glad you like the idea of reading a whole story based solely on Hobbes. See, after I wrote that chapter, I began to think of stuff to write, and now I'm planning out a whole separate story for him, simply 'cause I can. Also, I named Hobbes 'Thomas' after the author of the original _Leviathan_ book, Thomas Hobbes. Scott did that as a little reference, so I just expanded on it. ;) He's a clever author, our Scott. ^^

HopelessRomantic: Pah, your school starts September 7th? Mine starts this Monday. *cries* And yep, you definitely got the name, there. ^^ I'm glad you like this sort of fanfic. Kid Lilit, hm? I can do that. ;) Also, if you want a Lilit piece, I highly recommend Cardboard Edward's _Minotaur_, if you haven't read it already. Thanks! I'm glad my stories bring a smile to your face! (Though, uh, this one probably didn't.) ^^;

See you all in the next chapter! (Which I promise shall be rainbows and sunshine, to make up for this one.)


	9. Preferences

To make up for the previous chapter: I present fluff.

Preferences

_"The heart wants what the heart wants."_

_~No Idea_

"I like girls with long hair," he says.

She absentmindedly touches the back of her neck, covered only by air.

"I like girls who wear dresses," he says.

She absentmindedly wipes sweaty palms on her midshipman's pants.

"I like girls that are cultured," he says.

She absentmindedly lets out an expletive under her breath.

"But you know something else?"

She stares at him, not knowing.

"I love girls with short hair," he says.

"I love girls who wear pants," he says.

"I love girls that swear," he says.

"And most importantly, I love y-"

He doesn't get a chance to finish, because his lips are suddenly too busy.

...

Fluff! As an apology. I kind of feel like deleting the previous chapter...


	10. Just Go

I'm so, so sorry for not updating this in forever! I've been busy with school (hard to believe four weeks have already gone by, just like that!) and have been working hard on homework and projects. Anyways, it's about time I posted something new, and I really am terribly sorry for taking so long. I'll try to get into a weekly rhythm for updates.

Also, please, please, _please_ do not tell me anything spoilery after _Goliath_ comes out on Tuesday. _Please_! I won't be able to get the book right away, since I intend to buy it on October 2nd, when I (hopefully) go see Scott! Yep, if I keep my grades up, I'll be able to go see Scott at a book-signing! Meaning, though, that I won't have read the book until then. So yeah, no spoilers. ^^

Anyways, here's another song inspired chapter (like the first chapter)! The song is, like the title of this chapter, _Just Go_, by Kylee Saunders, and I like the sort of action-y beat to it-I think it'd make a good song for a fan vid, you know? One centered on a big action scene, or something. Or maybe it's just me. I don't know.

On to the chapter!

Just Go

"_And this is killing me, I'm on the edge of letting go, don't think, just go."_

_~Kylee Saunders_

Deryn didn't think. She didn't stop, to wonder what it was she was really doing.

_Just go_.

Vaulting herself over the edge of the trench, she leveled the gun and charged with the rest of the men of the _Leviathan_, transferred to the Western Front after completing their mission.

Along with the men, she shouted in anticipation and nervousness and pure adrenaline.

Dodging bullets and hoping for the best, she plowed forward, head down, eyes intent, mind focused.

Behind these men, behind their lines, lay an Austrian prince, trussed up and captured once and for all.

Not if Deryn had anything to say about it.

Shoving men aside, she continued her mad rush, cracks whizzing past her ear and screams punctuating the air.

_Just go_.

She had to do this. She couldn't hold back. There was no surrendering.

She was on the edge of letting go, the cries starting to break her mental defenses, steal her concentration, distract from the main goal.

But Alek was too important. She had to save him. _They_ had to save him. His safety and voice could sway the tide of the war. He'd already started to make himself known, had talked to the Darwinist press, had gained a following in the Allied countries.

Not only was he important to the Darwinists: he was important to _her_. Even if she still hadn't gained the courage to tell him, she'd do so after this. If they made it.

Dirt exploded next to her, bodies fell to the ground, blood stained the Earth. Her gun held tight in her hands, she ran, not bothering to fire the weapon. It was a prop, a tool, a scare tactic. Using it would only waste valuable time.

There. She'd broken through the defenses; the Clankers were busy fighting off the Darwinist attackers. Now that she had made it through, she could see Alek, roped up and gagged and heavily guarded.

He looked up, eyes meeting hers and lighting up in hope and fear. Hers, level and calm, met his back.

_Don't think. Just go._

_..._

I'll catch up on review replies next chapter, I promise.

Anyway, see you next chapter!


	11. Never Really Over

Again, sorry for taking so long to post this!

Anyways, before I do, have a couple things to ask. One: **Are any of you going to the Scott signing tomorrow (October 2nd, as I write this)?** Just curious. 'Cause I know I am! And I wanna see if any of you will be there. (In case you were wondering, I'll be the dorky teen with the glasses and the Sorcerer Mickey shirt. xP)

And two: Uh, I was kinda wondering. Should I bring any fanfic for Scott? I really don't know. I'm actually really scared to...I don't think my stuff's good enough. Would I just embarrass myself? Anyways, if I did bring something, do you guys have any suggestions?

Now, to talk a little about the story. This is sort of my farewell to the _Leviathan_ series, but not really. Anyways, I haven't read _Goliath _yet (well, I sneak-read the first two chapters in a store, but I still don't have the book), and this is in an interval between the end of the second book and the beginning of the third. And yeah.

Enjoy!

Never Really Over

_"A good think never ends."_

_~Mick Jagger_

The clouds looked almost like some sort of obscure Darwinist beast. Maybe a sheep fabrication, a new breed of creature, woolly balloons to cast shadows over sun-stricken country.

Obviously false, but it was a fun daydream to occupy Deryn's very unoccupied mind. This was intentional, of course – the young middy was on a break, and enjoying every minute of it.

She didn't get many of them these days.

Lots to do, busy busy.

A giant whale to look after, a dog to walk, bats to feed, a loris to train, bees to tend, and an Austrian prince to babysit.

Well, alright, that wasn't particularly nice. True, that was her assignment. But Deryn didn't mind looking after Alek in the slightest wee bit: it was a nice break from her regular duties, even if it, too, was a duty.

But everyone once in a while, she needed some time to herself.

Like now. Lying atop the _Leviathan_, gazing listlessly at the clouds, thinking.

Yes, thinking. Most people didn't give her much credit for intelligence, and though she wasn't the most book-educated person out there, her cleverness and wit had seen her through many a tough situation.

Thinking was a useful pastime.

Currently, though, Deryn was trying to distract herself from the real reason she was even taking her break outside, and not with Alek.

She needed to think about Alek.

At last putting aside whimsical thoughts of floating sheep, Deryn turned her focus to the most important matter on hand.

Alek.

Alek, Alek, Alek.

Now that everyone on the crew knew who he was, everything had changed.

Deryn, who before had been the only one willing to talk to Alek because she didn't care that he was a prisoner, was now the only one brave enough to talk to Alek because she didn't care he was a prince.

Except maybe Newkirk. But Newkirk was like that.

That wasn't what worried Deryn, though.

What worried her was what was going to happen next.

How would Alek react when he discovered her secret? She knew it was bound to happen – these things couldn't hide forever. Could they still be friends? Could they ever be more?

What about after the war? Would they ever even see each other again?

Deryn didn't know.

And this worried her immensely.

The loud clambering of boots, along with a the small crashing sound of a stumble and a light curse, alerted Deryn to Alek's approaching presence.

Sighing at being disturbed from her thoughts, but alighting in the familiar joy she always felt when he was near, Deryn didn't turn, keeping her eyes upon the clouds. "Hullo, Alek," she greeted cheerily.

Grumbling to himself, Alek plopped down beside Deryn. "How'd you know it was me?" he asked.

"No soldier swears as lightly as you," she replied sensibly.

"Ah." Alek followed Deryn's gaze, up to the vast expanse. "It's beautiful out here," he murmured.

"Aye," Deryn agreed. A moment or two of silence passed between them. "I wonder if it'll get tainted, too."

"Hm?" Alek twisted his head to look at her. "What do you mean?"

Deryn said simply, "By war. The sea's been tainted. The land's been tainted. The sky's been relatively safe so far, unless we're flying over enemy territory, but how long do you think that'll last?"

"True." A glimmer of hope in his eyes, he questioned, "Do you think I'll be able to stop it?"

Startled, Deryn swiveled her head to stare at her friend. "Um, aye?"

"That's not very reassuring," Alek pointed out dryly.

Deryn quickly disagreed with a hasty shake of her head. "Not what I meant. I guess…do you really think you have that power?"

"Who knows." Alek turned back to the sky. "Who knows."

"The future's a wee bit hard to predict, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

Deryn closed her eyes for a brief moment, steeling herself, then opened them once more.  
>"Alek," she said softly.<p>

He faced her once more. "Yes?"

"Whatever the future holds," Deryn began, "whatever happens, we'll always be friends right?"

Taken aback, Alek stared for but a moment, before giving her a heartfelt grin, one that held the answer before he even said it. "Yes, Dylan, always."

"Even when this war's over?"

"Even when this war's over, our friendship won't be. I promise. Do you?"

"I do." Deryn smiled back. "This" – she gestured around her, indicating the _Leviathan_, Alek, everything – "will never be over, will it? None of this will end. I won't let it."

"_We _won't let it," Alek emphasized, and reached out a hand.

With a grin, Deryn grasped it, sealing their pact.

"It'll never truly be over."

...

Hope you enjoyed!

Updates on this will be _super _sporadic from now on, but that's because I'll be working on a series that I couldn't do until I read _Goliath_. So look forward to that!


	12. Shattered

Soo…after watching this really depressing scene in a TV show I love (Warehouse 13), in which it was executed beautifully and had me in tears, I've been in a bit of a sad mood, especially in writing.

However, sad writing is always fun to write, and I've really been hit by inspiration thanks to this show. ^^

So, I feel I should warn you, this fic is sad. Very.

Also, spoilers for _Goliath_ are now in effect!

And no author's note at the end of the chapter. I feel like that would ruin the effect.

Shattered

"_If I only could make a deal with God, get him to swap our places. Be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running up that building…If I only could."_

_~Placebo, Running Up That Hill_

Deryn shuts her eyes, turns her head.

She cannot watch.

They are too late.

The Goliath has been destroyed.

And everything else nearby.

And everyone else inside.

A choking sob. She holds it back, shoves it down her throat, refuses to show how she feels.

A futile effort.

The tears streaming silently down her face send a clear message.

She rests her back against the wall, leans her head against it, breathes deeply.

There must be hope. There must be some hope.

She searches for it, rakes her mind, scans the air.

All hope has vanished.

It is not long before the _Leviathan _touches down.

And the area is searched.

And the area is cleared.

There are no survivors.

Flash forward – time means nothing to Deryn now.

She's at a funeral. She can't remember how she got here, or when, but she knows why.

A crowd of almost a thousand has gathered to mourn the lost prince.

They are sad.

But that is all.

Deryn is different.

Dressed in her suit and tie, she is called forward to speak on his behalf. She is the only living person who was close to him.

She reaches the podium. Rests her hands upon it. Opens her mouth to speak.

And cannot.

Her body takes control, and conducts her speech for her, one without words.

The sight of a Scottish boy, crying silently, jaw set tight to close off sobs, staring into the distance, brings many of the patrons to tears.

They do not know Alek, or this 'Dylan Sharp'.

But they can see 'his' pain.

Deryn opens her mouth again, only to close it as a sob forces its way out.

Her eyes shut. Then open.

Her nerves steel themselves.

"He's gone," she says hollowly.

No more needs to be said.

The message is clear in her haunted eyes.

Quietly, Deryn slips from the podium and back to her seat –

And suddenly she is home, her mother hugging her tightly, whispering in her ear, attempting comfort.

Deryn is hollow. Shattered. She is a lifeless doll, nudged in one direction or another.

Her mother cradles her daughter's head in her hands, stares into Deryn's glazed eyes.

No one else is around, so she may speak freely.

"You loved him."

It is a statement.

But it is not a fact.

Slowly, her first real response, Deryn shakes her head.

Her mother's brow furrows.

"Still do," Deryn chokes out, and her mother understands, and hugs her tighter.

Time passes. It flies. It walks. It runs.

Jaspert comes.

He doesn't recognize his sister.

She's gone.

Instead is an empty casing. A shell.

In a few weeks, Jaspert and her mother have gotten her to move, to talk, to pretend like nothing is wrong.

She goes with it. A puppet.

But no matter how much she 'laughs', and 'jokes', her eyes are still fogged.

In a few months, she is back on board the _Leviathan_.

They figure it is the only way to cure her.

Bring her other love back – the sky.

Forward –

Deryn stands on top of the German zeppelin.

She does not understand how her mission came to go so wrong.

But she has completed her duty.

As the zeppelin falls out of the sky, sinking, she stands, determined, and watches the _Leviathan_.

There is nothing they can do for her now.

She has run through every scenario in her head.

There is no rescue.

So she turns. She looks over the side of the falling zeppelin.

And she takes a deep breath, bends her knees, and jumps.

With arms outspread, with lips upturned, Deryn flies, truly flies, for the first and last time ever.

Alek is waiting to greet her.


	13. Silver Sun

…Look, I don't really even know.

Silver Sun

"_I wish everyone was a sci-fi geek because then there would be no violence in the world. There'd be no wars. There'd only be people e-mailing each other."_

_~Claudia Christian_

Alek lifted his sword, eyes narrowing and flashing blue as a glow began to emanate from around him. Holding his ground, he faced the intruders. "What do you want?" he barked out regally, despite being dressed only in moon and stars pajamas.

They only stared silently back, visors veiling their faces and blasters secured and aimed straight at the young prince's chest.

He didn't need to ask, though. Alek recognized the full moon symbol of the house of Hapsburg – these were his grandfather's soldiers. He lifted the sword higher, closing his eyes and concentrating on the powers he'd been granted by being born a Hapsburg.

As his sword glowed blue with energy, there was a flash of white light behind the invaders, and they fell to the ground. Shocked, Alek lost all of his concentration and stared at the soldiers sprawled before him. "Wha-" he began, only to look up in the face of his mentor, Count Volger.

"We must hurry, young prince," the count commanded, sheathing his sabre, a blade made of the purest white harksteel, a dangerous and deadly metal that could slice through steel. "These men may be accounted for, but others will soon follow."

Alek nodded, sheathing his sword and tossing on his uniform – a blue military garb, with long pants and an embroidered jacket, a golden crescent moon and two conjoined stars sewn over his heart. As he followed his mentor down the halls of his mansion, he shuddered. "Count, what's happened? Why have they attacked us?"

"No time to explain," Volger said, shushing him and halting to peer cautiously around a corner. Realizing the coast was clear, he continued to lead Alek through the house until they reached the launch room.

Alek stopped, realizing what the count was up. "Surely you don't mean for us to _flee_, do you?" he asked in disbelief, staring as Volger opened the hatch to the shuttle, a cruiser/fighter meant for soldiers and long-distance travel.

The count turned and looked pointedly at Alek. "Indeed I do. Now come. Our three crewmen are already aboard."

"Count, this is ridiculous! It's only a few invaders! We can fight them off, at least until Father and Mother come back! _Then_ they don't stand a chance!"

Volger winced. "Listen, boy, we don't have time for this. Get aboard, now, and we'll discuss all later."

Alek refused to budge, a dawning look coming over his eyes. "How do I know you're not with them? Maybe they were sent to protect me, because _you're_ going to kidnap me and use me for ransom, or, or worse! Are you working for the Golden Alliance, Count? Is that it? Am I pawn, that you must be rid of before I cross the board and become powerful?"

"Fool!" Volger spat, stepping away from the cruiser and marching straight towards Alek. "You pompous fool! Lose your swollen head and _get on the cruiser_!"

Alek replied, "No." His russet hair swayed side to side with his head, and his arms crossed over his chest.

"So help me, I will knock you out and drag you on board myself!" exclaimed the count, reaching out an arm to grab Alek.

The prince jumped backwards. "No! I know your plan now! My parents will come and arrest you, you'll see! And to think I once trusted you!"

"Gods," murmured the count, rubbing his forehead. With a sigh, he shot his arm out and grabbed Alek's collar, pulling the boy up close until they're faces were inches apart. Glaring, Volger matched Alek's feeble stare. "I don't have time for this!" he shouted, causing Alek to flinch. "You need to get on board _now_!"

Alek protested weakly, "But my parents-"

The count roared, "YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD!"

…

"And how did you say you came to be stranded in space?"

"My engines died, sah."

"But you were moving?"

"Indeed, sah, as I'm sure you can attest to."

"How did you manage that?"

"Simple thing, that! I just moved the rudder up a wee bit, then angled the wing flaps and jammed the thrusters hard!"

"…You're joking, right?"

"Not at all, sah! You see, I'd already learned all this in the manuals, they tell you down to the last barking detail what to do when you get in a rather sticky situation, and I was certainly knee-deep in clart there when you found me, oh, aye, indeed I was! Rather lucky you chaps showed up, eh?"

"Hrm, indeed. Now then, Mr…."

"Sharp, sah."

"Mr. Sharp. We don't have time to take you back to the training grounds – we're on a very important mission, and we don't have the time for nonsense detours."

"Oh, aye sah."

"So I suppose you'll be staying onboard with us for a while then."

"YES!"

"Now, hold on a bit, lad. We can't have a load of useless weight on board."

"Of course not, sah."

"So you'll be joining ranks with the other middies. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sah! Oh, yesyesyes, don't you worry about a thing, sah, I won't let you down, I'll be the finest bloody middy the world's ever seen! 'Tis all I've ever wanted, you see, since I was a wee lad, and - "

"Your quarters are down the hall. There're a few empty rooms, the ones without nametags, so take your pick. Since you don't have any possessions with you, it seems, we'll get you outfitted with some of the spares. Come down to the mess hall once you've sorted out your quarters and we'll discuss details there."

"Aye, sah!" With a smart salute, Deryn Sharp watched as the gruff Mr. Rigby took his leave, rubbing away an obvious headache, shoulders slouched in the universal sign of 'I-give-up'.

Giddy with glee, Deryn could really care less. She practically bounced down the hallway to the empty rooms at the back, flung the door open to one, and promptly claimed the room as her own, executing a flying leap onto the sparse mattress.

She was a middy! A real middy! She'd always dreamed of serving onboard a real ship, but it had actually come true! Of course, she had to watch her step a bit. No need to make enemies, though she doubted she would. After all, she had a positively 'entrancing' personality, as everyone said back home. No one could look away.

But let's see…she had the name down. 'Dylan' Sharp, she'd decided on. It had a nice ring to it – not too boyish, not too manly. Perfect for a girl like her. And she'd cut her blonde hair short a while ago, cropped just like a boy's. Ma hadn't been too happy about that. The voice was still a bit of a work in progress, but she thought she sounded pretty good, especially considering all her practice.

And the rest should all work out just fine, Deryn was sure of it.

Heading down to the mess, the giddiness finally wore off, though she was still ridiculously barking happy, to be sure. A cocky grin on her face and a swagger in her walk, the new middy jaunted on into the mess hall and gave a cheery 'hullo' to Mr. Rigby once more. At the sense of another presence, her eyes widened and she snapped a quick salute. "Captain," she addressed, standing sharply at attention.

"At ease," said the captain, a smile on his face. "My name is Captain Hobbes. So you're the new Mr. Sharp, are you?"

"Aye, sah," Deryn replied.

"Dylan, wasn't it?"

"Aye, sah."

"Take a seat, lad."

"Aye, sah." Deryn sat down on the bench of the table.

"Now, I have some unfortunate news. You already know that we can't drop you off for a while yet at any safe ports, correct?"  
>"Aye, sah."<p>

Here the captain sighed. "I wish we could, I truly wish we could."

Deryn stiffened. "Sah, I'll be the hardest working middy you've ever seen, believe me! I'll do my best, I promise, aye, you can count on me! Anything you want, I'll do, I promise, just please let me stay!"

Flapping a hand, the captain said, "Young sir, I do not doubt you will work hard. But the reason I wish we could drop you off is not because of your attitude, or strange and sudden appearance in space, but your timing. Just this morning we received news that the Silver Alliance, specifically Austria, has launched an attack on Serbia for the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie. Now, the system teeters on the edge of war. And if I know the Bulldog, he won't hesitate in backing up Serbia, no matter if the assassin was theirs or not. I fear there is to be an all-out war between the Silvers and Goldens, mark my words."

Deryn sat in silence, taking all of this in. She'd known for a while that the peace system had slowly been falling apart, and had, like many others, predicted a coming war, but not this soon.

The captain continued. "I hate to have to drag someone as young as you – " Deryn bristled " – _and_ the other middies into potentially fatal situations, but I'm afraid I have no choice. Once we stop on England to pick up the key member to our mission, we cannot stop. If I let you stay onboard my ship, I need you to promise me one thing."

"Anything, sah!" Deryn exclaimed, talking faster than she felt she ever had before.

The captain stared her hard in the eyes. "You will always obey any of my orders, or those of the crew. These are dangerous times, and I don't want to see boys on the verge of manhood lay down their lives for a political game. I need to know I can trust you."

"Always, sah," Deryn promised, eyes solemn.

"Good," said the captain, leaning back and folding his arms across his lap. "Now, let's fetch us some dinner and talk some more about your arrangements under the _Leviathan_'s roof."

…

Hmmm…

Yeah…

I'm a sci-fi nerd. And I've seen a bunch of AUs around here, and then I thought the classic thing – Let's recycle it in SPACE!

So we have this.

Also, yes, I did give Alek powers. Why? Because that boy's fencing skills are _not_ going to get him by in a world like this. Unless I gave him a lightsaber, that is, but I'm already ripping off one author's characters – figured I'd best leave the other's alone outside the actual section. xP

Did you enjoy? I'm game for a sequel, like always, if you folks so desire.

And one last quick question – any folks really good at poetry willing to beta a chapter for me? I'm attempting my hand at a _Leviathan_ version of Poe's _The Raven_, as a sort of writing exercise, but I want this one proofread before it goes public.

Glad to be back! ;)

See you in the next chapter!


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